Fort St. John celebrates Filipino Heritage Month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The North Peace Filipino Canadian Association celebrated Filipino Heritage Month on Sunday with a potluck and games at Festival Plaza.

Ovvian Castrillo-Hill, a past president and cultural adviser with the association, said the event was also held on the eve of Philippines Independence Day, on June 12th.

 “We planned a part wherein the Filipino community are welcome to come together to congregate and just celebrate together,” Castrillo-Hill said.

“Also, it’s a chance for the older Filipino Canadians in town to meet newcomers and get acquainted and have that sense of community here in Fort St. John.”

She says about 140 to 150 people, including children, were in attendance to participate in the food and games.

The association also held a traditional clothing contest, with votes submitted on Facebook.

“It’s an opportunity for the members of our community to show their support and learn from each other,” Castrillo-Hill said.

Also in attendance were Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen as well as councillors Tony Zabinsky and Sarah MacDougall.

“It was a really great community event, and I love the that the North Peace Phil-Can Association open up their celebrations and their events to the community and its always a family event,” Hansen said.

“This was really fun. I love the food, hands down. It was pretty easy to entice me to come.”

Everyone was invited to bring food to the event, and she brought her deep-dish lasagna, even though it wasn’t a Filipino dish.

“I thought if I’m gonna bring something, I want it to be something I know I can make,” Hansen said.

As part of the games, there were table games for a group of attendees to participate in; one involved dressing a volunteer up as an alien using a bag full of miscellaneous items, including ribbon, wrapping paper, tin foil and twist ties.

The games encouraged participants to engage with attendees outside of their friend group, and Hansen said she met lots of new people, but in particular, she met two newcomers from the Philippines, one working in Fort St. John and the other going to school.

Earlier in the day, a local master demonstrated Arnis, a national martial art of the Philippines.

In addition to the celebration at Festival Plaza, the North Peace Filipino Canadian Association is offering free Filipino language classes in partnership with the City of Fort St. John every Saturday in June at the Pomeroy Sport Centre.

Residents interested in the language classes can register online or at the Visitor’s Centre.

The ExSITU exhibit at Peace Gallery North also opened on June 6th for the fifth time in Fort St. John.

Finally, the North Peace Filipino Canadian Association plans to participate in the Canada Day parade on July 1st, with preparations beginning in June. 

The association is looking for sponsors and volunteers to help with the float. Visit their Facebook page for more information.